OT: High quality less expensive pro video cables

Coursedesign wrote on 9/8/2009, 9:49 PM
I've been buying my professional video cables at Amphenol Cables on Demand lately, and have been extremely satisfied with their quality and their pricing. Enormous selection and very fast shipping to boot.

Most recently I got a 7.5 ft. Dual BNC to S-video connector cable for one of my Decklink cards.

Would you believe $11.89 for this cable?

And $9.85 for Priority Mail shipping which arrived in 2 days, and even less for Ground (which I avoid since they ship out of NY state and I'm in CA). Overnight for $23.85...

And personal customer service on top of that, what a pleasant surprise.

(I have no connection with this company other than as a satisfied recent customer.)

Comments

farss wrote on 9/8/2009, 11:02 PM
If you want some serious XLR connectors I'm quite impressed with the Neurik X-HD series. All machined SS shells and gold contacts, IP65.
These cost us more per connector than a whole cheap cable off eBay. The eBay ones work well enough except more than once we've had a male XLR get well and truly jammed in a camera as a result of someone stepping on the plug and slightly squashing it. Still plugged in OK, still worked, just couldn't get the darn thing unlatched from the camera.

Bob.
Coursedesign wrote on 9/9/2009, 8:36 AM
The latest Neutrik XLRs are gorgeous, I agree, and worthwhile for critical use.

ebay cables are really mixed, quality-wise. Lots of junk...

Amphenol is a serious brand that I'm sure you've seen for decades, and the cables I have bought from them have been absolutely first rate for serious professional use, at prices that are quite a bit less than what my previous suppliers offered.

musicvid10 wrote on 9/9/2009, 9:02 AM
Agreed on all points above.
The problem with Chinese cables that typically show up on eBay is that leads are sometimes reversed, inadequate strain relief, and counterfeit connectors.

Neutrik makes some good stuff, but there are knockoffs out there too. Make sure you are buying from an established wholesaler.
CClub wrote on 9/9/2009, 1:48 PM
I haven't had many occasions to buy cable, but I've had good success with http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/XLR20/Sweetwater[/link] cables. You can't beat their guarantee copied below:

Sweetwater Cables - Guaranteed for life! This Sweetwater cable is protected by more than strong insulation. It comes with a lifetime warranty. If anything goes wrong with this cable, we'll take care of it for you. Even if you accidentally roll over it with your car, or your daughter uses it as a jump rope one too many times, or your band members use it in a tug of war, you're covered unconditionally!


Ediot: Sorry! I scanned over the posting quickly and just realized you're all talking about VIDEO cables!